Quikthinking Software Blog
Categories
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- Black History
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 01/13/2022
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. Dr. King has been honored with a national holiday in the USA on the third Monday in January since 1986. MLK Day of community service encourages you to get involved locally to help your neighborhood, town or city deal with important civic issues. Here's a 3 minute video that I produced featuring some of King's quotes in text. We posted it on our sister YouTube channel Black History People. Discover more Black History quotes in our mobile app Black History Quotes Express. All images and film in the video were taken during a personal visit to the King Memorial in Washington, DC.
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0 The 7 Best Mobile App Blog Posts of 2021
- Year in Review
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 12/28/2021
Did you miss our 7 best mobile app blog posts of 2021? Take a look below and then jump right to the complete stories. New research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine and conducted by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine reveal this: Those who believed that smoking increases the risk of getting COVID-19 or having a more severe case were more likely to quit, while those who perceived more stress tended to increase their smoking. See Blowing Cigarette Smoke During a Pandemic and the related mobile app. What kind of mobile phone do you have? From a game developers point of view, if your phone is iOS, we celebrate. Why? iPhone and iPad models add up to a few dozen variants so designing a visual layout to accommodate these devices is straight forward. Unfortunately (for app developers) there are thousands of Android device models with design features that challenge our screen layouts! Read the rest of Sizing Up Thanksgiving Match 3 Game App Screens. iPhone 13 has just been released. As a follow-up to the disclosure about Android screen sizes in Sizing Up Thanksgiving Match 3 Game App Screens, here's a quick look at the same mobile app on iPhone. Although it is easier to design screens for iPhone and iPad because there are many less variants than Android, the iOS screen design process is still tricky. We reveal why in Sizing Up Thanksgiving Match 3 Game App Screens IOS. Three familiar faces: President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and former first lady Michelle Obama. Custom portraits of the Obamas sketched for Quikthinking Software by artist Julia Liberali. General Powell passed away on October 18, 2021. Powell (1937 - 2021) was born in Harlem, New York on April 5. During his distinguished career, he served as a four-star general, National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State, and as the mastermind of operation Desert Storm (against Iraq). Learn more in Black History Express App Stories. Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. was drafted into the U.S. Army's first integrated unit. Hazel W. Johnson served her country as Chief Nurse for the Army Medical Command in Korea. Army, navy, air force, or marines. All veterans including prominent African Americans have served their country. We salute them and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Film maker James Edwards served in the army, and after service enrolled in drama school under the G.I. Bill. Actor James Earl Jones was another army vet who studied theater after military service under the G.I. Bill. Discover more in the Veterans Day Appreciation post and why this information is included in our app. Andrew was a former co-worker who constantly swapped his mobile phone for a different model so frequently that it was not unusual to see him with 3 different phones within a 3 month period. A mobile phone of the month club didn't exist. Andrew was just in pursuit of his ideal cell phone. Suppose you want the latest and greatest device to run that cool new app but getting a fresh iPhone or Android is questionable thanks to supply chain issues. Know what to do by reading The New Mobile Phone Shortage Quick Fix. What would you do after years of collecting African American artifacts and memorabilia? Here's what Jeffrey A. Fletcher did. He decided to share his curated history with the community of Stratford, Connecticut. Even though the last two pandemic laced years have been a challenge for all of us, this obstacle didn't stop Jeffrey A. Fletcher from opening the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum in October, 2021. Find out in the rest of the story How African American Artifacts Inspired a Collector. Even more within the museums app.
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0 Holiday Greetings - Merry Christmas
- video
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 12/23/2021
All the best to you in 2022. Our most popular YouTube video of 2021 is below. We hope it was helpful. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel right now.
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0 Music Trivia Quizzes Sing Song Success
- Quiz
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 12/15/2021
The nostalgia of music makes me happy. Does it do the same for you? Every decade presents a new symphony of songs with emotional clout. Here's our take on RnB and Hip Hop trivia. You'll find lots of old school - throwback music memories in the mobile app we created. See some of the questions by watching the video. I briefly describe more game details in the 75 second update. In the app the iPhone and iPad version is shown. It features nearly 600 questions across 26 levels of game play. Android is also supported sporting a slightly different look with less questions at this time. I wrote all of the questions. Enjoy RnB and Hip Hop Quiz.
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0 How African American Artifacts Inspired A Collector
- Black History
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 12/08/2021
What would you do after years of collecting African American artifacts and memorabilia? Here's what Jeffrey A. Fletcher did. He decided to share his curated history with the community of Stratford, Connecticut. Even though the last two pandemic laced years have been a challenge for all of us, this obstacle didn't stop Jeffrey A. Fletcher from opening the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum in October, 2021. On the museum's website we are reminded about the significance of their collection with this statement: "The artifacts and memorabilia may seem to be difficult to view but they are a part of African American history that needs to be told just as much as the triumphs which were made by African American pioneers and trailblazers." Our latest December, 2021 Android mobile app update for Black History Museums includes the new Connecticut contribution bearing the name of Ruby and Calvin Fletcher. The Black History Museums app features 51 selected African American museums or resources from every state and the District of Columbia. I developed this app in 2016. It has been updated 13 times since then to reflect museum changes. Watch in the video below how I demonstrate the top 4 reasons why you'll benefit from downloading this 100% free app to your tablet or phone. December 8th Update: We replaced the original video with this version to update the audio track.
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0 Swinging Santa Safely Jumps For Joy
- Games
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 12/02/2021
Had enough of Office Christmas Party, Bad Santa, or Reindeer Games. These wild December holiday movies might bring you cheer or get you fired if you act out the fantasies in the films. Get fired-up instead on the safer side of life playing Santa Jump Game Party, a mobile marvel of an app mixing action with patience. Just a touch is all it takes to get Santa to hop over to the next pole. We wanted to offer you some free promotional copies of our exclusive "Holiday Cheer Red Capped" 'ugly' sweatshirt, but supply chain issues have made that contest possibility a bust for Christmas 2021. Mediums, Large, and X-Large sizes are temporarily missing in action and not available from our supplier. Watch me play Santa Jump Game Party for iPhone, iPad, and Android. I'm playing on an Android device (phone) in the video below.
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0 Feedback About Mobile Apps You Love
- Feedback
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/30/2021
We love hearing from you when you jump on the megaphone to offer your comments or feedback. Here are just a few mentions listed below that we've received. Most of these comments are recent. I do listen to your feedback. These comments are all unsolicited. K. Johnson regarding AAeMojis for iOS via email: "Nice app, thanks." chAregler likes AAeMojis for iOS, App Store Comment: "I love this app." S. McCloud about Thanksgiving Retro Match 3 Game via Google Play: "Happy and grateful for the game." T. D. Qualls loves Thanksgiving Match 3 Game via Google Play: 5 stars Peanut plays Black History People Game for iOS, App Store Comment: "Love it." Jane Mum eats up Pizza Burger Match 3 Game for iOS, App Store Comment: "I down loaded this app yesterday and have really enjoyed it! I think it's my new favorite !!" W. Bontrager comments about Black History Quotes Express for iOS on the App Store: "Somebody did great work with this app. The quotes are pertinent and inspiring. And it is well-organized." E. mathmatic listens to Black History Audiobook for iOS, App Store Comment: "I love the insight they give on black history." A. Wiggins talks about Black History Express for Android, Google Play comment: "It's good, I found out that there's more than I thought I knew and more that I can learn using this just make sure you keep updating there is more out there to know." S. Thomas expresses herself about Black History Inventors for Android, Amazon App Store comment: "I love it. It is so informative about African Americans I didn't know about." Thank you all! Note that these mobile apps are available for iOS and Android except Black History Express which is an Android exclusive (for now). You can always Contact Quikthinking when the spirit moves you! Here's some more insider info for those of you who regularly follow the thoughts that we write. These are the most popular 2021 items in the Quikthinking Swag Shop (in order): Men's Hoodies Men's Premium Sweatshirts Women's Crewneck Sweatshirts iPhone cases Unisex Baseball T-Shirt Teddy Bear Thanks for your support!
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0 Thanksgiving Storytime Video
- Holidays
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/22/2021
Native Americans, Pilgrims and the Queen. The 1620 search for religious freedom in a foreign land one day to be named America, gets remixed with a new celebration that we now call Thanksgiving. You know the story. Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, history. Since 2007 in various places we've been presenting "Thanksgiving" told by Bama, the Village Poet. He tells the story in a way you may not have heard in high school. For 2021 I have enlarged the captions in the story one more time so it is much easier to read on a mobile phone. Bama's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect our own beliefs. Watch, listen, and reflect on the story. Remember to celebrate the holiday with Thanksgiving Match 3 Game for iPhone and Android, or Thanksgiving Retro Match 3 Game for Android. Enjoy Thanksgiving week!
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0 Black History Names - Arena Spelling Games
- Games
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/18/2021
The keyboard on your mobile phone or tablet is very important. Two of our games take you into tapping, touching and using your keyboard to construct names or words. First, let's thank the artists we commissioned for the pictures you see, Olivia Burton who drew George Washington Carver, and Julia Liberali who drew Michelle Obama. Black History People Game floats names down your screen. A person's first name is followed by their last name. Touch your keyboard to spell the name before any letters hit the white foul line. Spelling Runners is an arena battle between two players. The keyboard is inside of the stadium field. You are the green runner. Drag your finger to move green runner to the correct letters to complete the word. Both of these games are for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Watch and listen to the video, then learn more about Black History People Game and Spelling Runners Game.
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- How To
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/16/2021
Regardless of your age, you might want to look back in time into the dawn of online website communication. The creation of dot com, dot org, and dot net websites started to explode as the 1990s were coming to a close. Social media became a new phrase, the watchwords "you got mail" captured a wired generation, and cellphone usage was on the edge of a massive breakout. One of the best ways to see what was happening 'way back when' is to use the online Internet Archive WayBack Machine. 625 billion web pages as of this writing are there to explore. You could argue that one of the reasons why social media is so popular today is that there are just too many solo websites to keep track of. It's too easy to dive into Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn along with hundreds of millions of users who use these platforms daily. 'Set it and forget it' is the mindset as you scroll and surf these sites. So what were those social media guys doing back in the day? To find out, say hello to The WayBack Machine. It's a portal designed to be simple and easy to use. Enter the url (uniform resource locator) of the website you are interested in and select the year. Overnight web wonders come and go. The Wayback Machine is a nice way to research who has staying power. We hit The Wayback Machine for https://Quikthinking.com (our website). Here's what we found. You'll see the actual 'home' pages below that TWBM captured from 1996, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. I've added the years to each Wayback Machine 'above the fold' screen shot. 2021 is the 25th Quikthinking website year celebration as a resource for software and app users. We began creating Windows software in the early 1990s. Our migration to mobile apps started in 2011. Enjoy the memories when you explore The Wayback Machine!
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- Games
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/12/2021
Pizza in the morning, pizza for lunch, pizza for supper time. Grab a slice, then enjoy this video featuring the iPhone - iPad version of our Pizza Burger Match 3 Game App. Also available for Android. How much pizza can you get for a dollar in countries outside of the USA? See our "all the toppings post" How To Eat Pizza With Your Game On. Examine the 'dollar value pizza' video there. It's the 2nd video on that page.
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- Black History
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/10/2021
Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. was drafted into the U.S. Army's first integrated unit. Hazel W. Johnson served her country as Chief Nurse for the Army Medical Command in Korea. Army, navy, air force, or marines. All veterans including prominent African Americans have served their country. We salute them and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Film maker James Edwards served in the army, and after service enrolled in drama school under the G.I. Bill. Actor James Earl Jones was another army vet who studied theater after military service under the G.I. Bill. The G.I. Bill was signed into law on June 22, 1944 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt providing educational assistance to service members, veterans, and their dependents. Harriet M. West was the first Black woman in the Women's Army Corps (WACS) to rise to the rank of Major (August 21, 1943). Fender Stratocaster guitar specialist Jimi Hendrix joined the 101 Airborne Division Paratroopers of the U.S. Army in 1960 only to hurt his back and receive an honorable discharge in the summer of 1962. Chicago's first Black mayor Harold Washington served in World War II as a First Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force Engineers (1942 - 1946). Roscoe Robinson, a 1982 West Point graduate became the U.S. Army's first African American four star general. See Black History Express App Stories for the General Colin Powell story. Actor Sidney Poitier (army), Medal of Honor recipient Brigadier General Charles C. Rogers (army), and Clifford Alexander (national guard and Secretary of the Army in 1977) all served with distinction. Before stealing baseball bases across America (1947), MLB color line buster Jackie Robinson served in World War II (1942). Jackie was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army cavalry unit in Fort Riley, Kansas. In January 1943, Robinson was commissioned a second lieutenant. The man who would make number 42 famous was then assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, where he joined the 761st "Black Panthers" tank battalion. In the days before they were allowed to participate in direct active duty women also contributed to national service and deserve a Veteran's Day shout-out. Some of these women were not technically army vets. Educator Mary McLeod Bethune served as an administrator for President Franklin Roosevelt's Office of Minority Affairs and worked as a special assistant to the Secretary of War (1942) to help recruit Black officer candidates in the Women's Army Corps (WACS). Community activist Grace lee Stevens was a national organizer for the Women's Army of National Defense (WANDS) during World War II. You'll find many more veteran contributions in our Black History Express mobile app by searching not only by keywords "army," or "navy," "air force," or "marines," but by others that make sense: "soldier" for example. We have only scratched the surface. Discover much more in our Android App Black History Express Quiz Game and Knowledge Base.
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0 Zodiac Signs Jigsaw Puzzle Clairvoyant
- Apps
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/08/2021
The Random House Dictionary defines a clairvoyant as "having the alleged supernatural power of seeing objects beyond the range of vision." Clairvoyance according to The American Heritage Dictionary is "the supposed power to perceive things that are out of the natural range of human senses attributed to certain individuals." I had to learn more! Here I am trying to see if my hand-picked world famous clairvoyant is legit. Listen: Your browser does not support the audio element. Ya, he is. Just ask Queen Elizabeth. Maurice Woodruff described the future of Prince Andrew of England for her. We don't do astrology predictions here but we love all of your zodiac signs. Zodiac Signs Jigsaw Puzzle Game app for iPhone or Android offers three different sets of signs for you to construct. The main image style features human cosmic caricatures for all 12 signs: Our 2nd style offers a more celestial look into the cosmos. Next, signs in space give you another perspective. Grab Zodiac Signs Jigsaw Puzzle for iPhone or Android and complete all 150 levels. Developer Hugh Smith and clairvoyant Maurice Woodruff are featured in the audio clip at the top of this update.
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0 Software Success: How To Master Your Favorite App
- How To
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/05/2021
While doing some research for a big new project not related to apps, I stumbled upon this article below I wrote way back in 1996! That year I worked part-time at a computer school teaching programming. Hugh Smith at Quikthinking Software (2018) As you contemplate giving thanks during the holiday season, we thank you for your support and offer this legacy look into how I mastered Microsoft Word. Back in the day you could call Microsoft for free, get a support person on the phone for free (usually immediately), and let the support person assist you with your problem related to their software. I reference this in the article, however those days are long gone. In the 1990s I also visited Microsoft in Seattle, Washington, took their tour, and closely observed their in-house software duplication process. My interest in their technique was to follow best practices for my own software app CD in-house duplication. The details in the story below apply to most apps and most software today. Many of the online help references have disappeared with social media resources taking their place. I have not edited this 'How To' story. Here it is scanned as an image. Flip your mobile phone into landscape to make the image easier to read. The How-To summary was originally published in T'Byrds Computer Forum Volume 1 Issue 9 November/December 1996. The article appeared in the official conference program... The occasion was the 2nd Annual Computer Technology Conference sponsored by The Showboat Hotel Casino Atlantic City and co-sponsored by The New Jersey Development Authority for Small Business, Minority, and Women's Enterprises. Not every tip still applies, but most of them do point you in a positive direction. Also see our post: An Affinity To Learn Something New.
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0 Thanksgiving Mobile Games Times Two
- Apps
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 11/03/2021
Thanksgiving Match 3 Game has been a year-round surprise for me. Winter or summer, spring or fall, fans are always enjoying themselves playing the game. We created a replacement version for the 2017 original in September, 2021. Laurel S. wrote and said "I don't like the update I like the original game where you click on your matches and not swap them!" Fair enough. I decided to bring back the original 2017 version of Thanksgiving Match 3 Game for Android based on Laurel's feedback (now called Thanksgiving Retro Match 3 Game) . As you'll see in the video below, touch to match is all it takes in the retro game. The newer companion Thanksgiving Match 3 Game for iPhone or Android is a swap to match game. The iOS version of the game has always been a swap to match challenge. Get into the holiday spirit or boost your fun factor anytime you want with Thanksgiving Retro Match 3 Game for Android or Thanksgiving Match 3 Game for iPhone or Android. Watch the video 29 second video (there is no sound):